John Lasseter tells it like it is

Those who saw Disney’s National Treasure: Book Of Secrets this weekend and help bring in the estimated $65 million total for the holiday weekend were also treated to the start of a new trend at Disney — the return of the animated short film. The Goofy short "’How To Hook Up Your Home Theatre" also heralds a commitment from Walt Disney Animation Studios to return to hand-drawn animation.

"The whole notion that the audience didn’t want to watch hand-drawn animation any more was ridiculous," Lasseter says. "It would be like saying the audience didn’t want to watch something made with a particular camera. Give me a break!"

Lasseter has also approved production of a new hand-drawn film at WDAS. "The Princess and the Frog" will be a ‘modern’ fairy tale about a young girl, Princess Tiana, from the French Quarter of New Orleans set during the jazz age. It will also feature Disney’s first African-American Princess. Ron Clements and John Musker have returned to Disney to direct the film.